This invention relates in general to firearms and deals more particularly with a convertible firearm or shotgun and a retrofit assembly for converting an existing gun of one type to a gun of another type.
The escalating incidence of suburban crime has created a demand for improved home security weapons. The military combat or battle-type shotgun, widely used by law enforcement agencies, is gaining popularity as a basic home security weapon. It is generally recognized that a shotgun is more ideally suited than a handgun for use as a home defense weapon, because of the high probability of a first shot hit, even in the hands of a relatively inexperienced person. The devastating effect of a shotgun at close range is well known. Consequently, an intruder is not likely to attack when confronted with a shotgun. Further, if it should be necessary to fire a shotgun in defense within a building, it is unlikely that the shotgun charge would retain sufficient velocity to kill or seriously wound an innocent person outside of the building, after passing through a building wall.
Heretofore, various attachments and accessories have been provided which enable both law enforcements agencies and private citizens to convert a sporting type shotgun into a shotgun of the combat or military type. However, the trigger and trigger guard on most sporting shotguns is located near the stock end of the receiver which presents a conversion problem. Consequently, most sporting gun conversions are made by removing the fixed stock and replacing it with a folding stock or pistol grip. Where a folding stock is used, it is usually only slightly shorter than the fixed stock which it replaces. Storing such a weapon in a compact motor vehicle, such as now commonly used by many law enforcement agencies, can pose a serious problem. Generally, the weapon must be stored with its stock folded, which is not particularly desirable, since it may cause delay in bringing the weapon into play in an emergency situation.
Another approach employed to convert a sporting type shotgun into a shotgun of military or combat type is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,512,290 to La Violette, Jr., et al, for FIREARM HOUSING ASSEMBLY HAVING THREE SECTIONS AND AN INTERLOCKING CENTRAL COUPLING MARKER THEREFORE, issued May 19, 1970 and assigned to The High Standard Manufacturing Corporation. La Violette, Jr., et al employs a retrofit housing assembly to encapsulate a modified sporting shotgun to permanently convert the shotgun to a combat or military type. However, the modifications required to enable encapsulation render the gun wholly unsuitable for further use as a sporting gun.
Accordingly, it is the general aim of the present invention to provide a convertible shotgun which may be readily converted to either a sporting type shotgun or a military or battle type shotgun. It is a further aim of the present invention to provide a retrofit housing assembly to partially encapsulate an existing shotgun and thereby convert a shotgun of a sporting type to a shotgun of a substantially different type without requiring modification of the existing basic shotgun and without altering its operational characteristics. It is a still further aim of the invention to provide a retrofit assembly which may be readily assembled with or removed from an existing sporting shotgun without risk of inadvertently disabling the gun firing mechanism.